nintendo is pretty much the only big company that actually cares about people pirating older games and they’re the only company that takes action against it.
like, Sega actually lets you upload romhacks to the Steam Workshop for their Genesis Classics collection.
nobody that made those old games would see any of the money they’d make from a potential sale. the game was made 30 years ago and nobody kept proper records of who worked on what. the money for games like that just goes to “Nintendo,” the entity that exists solely in concept.
pirating a NES or SNES game is a victimless crime and emulating those games is often the only way people CAN play those games anymore. nobody outside of Japan would have ever played Mother 3 if it weren’t for piracy and emulation.
plus there are games that just aren’t being sold anymore. you can only find used copies, and used copy sales don’t go to the developers. at that rate, you might as well just pirate and emulate the game. that logic doesn’t just apply to games from the 80s or 90s, either. there’s games being released NOW that are unplayable without emulation or piracy.
You know the Konami Rebirth games? Gradius Rebirth, Castlevania Rebirth, and Contra Rebirth? As of this year, there are officially no ways to buy those games. The Wii Shop Channel is down and that was the only place you could buy them. If you want to play any of those games, you have two options:
Option 1: Find someone selling a Wii with the game already installed on it (no money goes to the developers)
Option 2: Pirate a digital copy and load it on your hacked Wii or in Dolphin (no money goes to the developers)
You see? We need emulation and piracy for the sake of preserving these games where there’s no other option.
So for Nintendo to go after pirates and emulators AND offer no alternative, official method to play these games is just ludicrous. It’s just a dick-waving power move. This is literally just them flexing to “preserve the integrity of their brand.”
And before anyone asks, no, I am not condoning piracy of all games. If there’s an official and reasonable option that supports the developers, you should take it. Always support artists.
But Companies? Companies that own the creations made by talented artists, that screw those artists out of their hard-earned money through poor record keeping and no regard for preservation of the art they’re selling as a product? Fuck companies. If the official options don’t exist, or the official option doesn’t actually support the people that made the game and just gets swallowed by “the company,” fuck it. Pirate the game.
Here’s another example: the original Doom. Zenimax owns Bethesda owns Id Software owns Doom. That said, nobody who actually made the Doom that released in 1993 actually works at Id Software anymore. Everyone who made that game left. When you buy Doom, the money just gets swallowed by Zenimax, a company that did not make the game but owns the rights to sell the game. So fuck it. Steal Doom. Romero and Carmack encourage it.
in short, if it directly benefits the developers pay for it whenever you can. if it doesn’t, fuck it. nobody at Konami is missing meals because you’re emulating a copy of Shattered Soldier on the PS2.
But still interested in feeding yourself? What if I told you that there’s a woman with a blog who had to feed both herself and her young son…on 10 British pounds ($15/14 Euro) per week?
Let me tell you a thing.
This woman saved my life last year. Actually saved my life. I had a piggy bank full of change and that’s it. Many people in my fandom might remember that dark time as when I had to hock my writing skills in exchange for donations. I cried a lot then.
This is real talk, people: I marked down exactly what I needed to buy, totaled it, counted out that exact change, and then went to three different stores to buy what I needed so I didn’t have to dump a load of change on just one person. I was already embarrassed, but to feel people staring? Utter shame suffused me. The reasons behind that are another post all together.
AgirlcalledJack.com is run by a British woman who was on benefits for years. Things got desperate. She had to find a way to feed herself and her son using just the basics that could be found at the supermarket. But the recipes she came up with are amazing.
You have to consider the differing costs of things between countries, but if you just have three ingredients in your cupboard, this woman will tell you what to do with it. Check what you already have. Chances are you have the basics of a filling meal already.
Bake your own bread. It’s easier than you think. Here’s a list of many recipes, each using some variation of just plain flour, yeast, some oil, maybe water or lemon juice. And kneading bread is therapeutic.
She has a book, but many recipes can be found on her blog for free. She prices her recipes down to the cent, and every year she participates in a project called “Living Below the Line” where she has to live on 1 BP per day of food for five days.
Things improved for me a little, but her website is my go to. I learned how to bake bread (using my crockpot, but that was my own twist), and I have a little cart full of things that saved me back then, just in case I need them again. She gives you the tools to feed yourself, for very little money, and that’s a fabulous feeling.
Tip: Whenever you have a little extra money, buy a 10 dollar/pound/euro giftcard from your discount grocer. Stash it. That’s your super emergency money. Make sure they don’t charge by the month for lack of use, though.
I don’t care if it sounds like an advertisement–you won’t be buying anything from the site. What I DO care about is your mental, emotional, and physical health–and dammit, food’s right in the center of that.
If you don’t need this now, pass it on to someone who does. Pass it on anyway, because do you REALLY know which of the people in your life is in need? Which follower might be staring at their own piggy bank? Trust me: someone out there needs to see this.
Reblogging for all the impoverished students. Jack is the breadline queen. And if you don’t need this – donate to your nearest food bank, stat.
Reblogging for students, working folks, and everyone who’s ever had to choose between essentials at the store because you can only afford milk OR bread, not both.
Boy, it sure would be nice if Nintendo could please just actually re-release their old games that people want so they don’t have to rely on piracy to play them due to scalpers driving up value straight into the stupidly overpriced zone!
hey guys here’s my review of how much various horror movies fit their titles
scream: there is a respectable amount of screaming. could have been called “guy in a screamy mask with a knife” but they took a risk with the title and I respect that 7/10
the descent: there is a good amount of descending in this movie 8/10
it follows: it does, in fact, follow 9/10
Oculus: dumb. Idk what oculus means and I don’t care. shld have been called “murder mirror” 0/10
the babadook: movie is based around an entity known as the babadook. very good 10/10
creep: I guess the guy is fairly creepy, but I i wish the title was a little more specific. Work the wolf mask in there next time 5/10
the exorcist: there is an exorcist 8/10
the houses that October built: October can’t build houses. It’s a month. Idiots. 2/10 because it does, at least, take place in October
silent hill: I don’t think there are any hills that are more silent than the average hill in this movie 1/10
paranormal activity: there is activity that is fairly paranormal 9/10
the blair witch project: I guess what they’re doing could be counted as a project, and it DOES involve the blair witch, but I’d call it more of a “documentary” than a “project” 7/10
split: there are, to the best of my knowledge, no splits of either the gymnastic or banana variety in this movie 0/10
the midnight meat train: there is a train at midnight, and some meat themes throughout the movie, but the train itself is not filled with meat 6/10
the conjuring: nothing is actually conjured. they’re actually trying to get rid of something, which is like. the opposite of conjuring -100/10
Exodus from the blue hellsite 